Creative Audio Processing
04 - Style

 

 

As defined in chapter 03, from a production point of view, there should be no "good" or "bad", there is only a set of aesthetic choices getting into one overall direction, and that is style. It is not necessarily "musical style". "Production style" is a different notion, even if both domains can have a great influence on each other. But they're not the same thing : when recording a minimalist Philip Glass style piece, I can have different options, I can make it sound live, or make it sound austere and devoid of acoustics - both solutions are possible. A well known example of "production style" in "realistic music" : the ECM piano sound. Solo piano records from this music label are always very distinctive. The piano sound is not so realistic : a Keith Jarrett concert record on ECM doesn't sound at all like the actual concert, but it's beautiful. Now, in the field of "acousmatic music" - still as defined in chapter 03, things get more drastic. "Production style" and "music style" can be merged. That's the case in music such as Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails. In such music, producers and musicians often work together. This leads to the notion of "musician-producer". For instance, Brian Eno is one the first "musician producers" to have been recognized by a wide audience. Now we'll switch to a more practical subject : how to make "stylized" sounds in production, with what tools etc.